A Woman Called Deathscythe
by Ah Hael
Summary: Duo meets a woman he is drawn to like a magnet. Problem is she keeps running away! What secrets does she hold? 2xOC
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: the following story is based on the Gundam Wing TV series which I do not own. The additional characters and story are my own creation. Blah…Blah…Blah.

I would like to apologize for the length of this story. It's been rattling around in my head for years. I wrote it exactly as my mind saw it in an effort to purge it for once and for all. So to any of you who miss out on any deep meaningful life experiences 'cause you were bogged down by this story, I'm very sorry. Now you know why I wanted to get it out of my head. 

A Woman Called Deathscythe – By Ah Hael 

Shelby stood on the roof and looked out over the colony. _Arrgh_ she sighed, it was hopeless. Despite the peaceful coexistence between earth and the colonies for the past twelve years, some colonies still gave the impression of poor refugee status. The place looked almost gloomy with grey steel and grey concrete as far as the eye could see. Occasionally some people broke up the monotony by planting flowers in front of their places. Places like that idiot governor's estate. Instantly her temper flared as she thought about the pompous jackass she'd spent the morning with. She'd been sent here as a legal/business consultant to determine the needs of this colony in an attempt to help increase its prosperity. She came to the conclusion the reason this colony was needed outside aid was that idiot governor. Ten seconds in to their appointment and he'd come to the conclusion that she was there for his 'personal' needs. Now her trip here was a total waste. Shelby became so involved with her mental rant she failed to notice the approaching figure until it spoke up.

"Hey lady what are you doing up here?" came a man's voice behind her.

_ Shit. Oh shit. Please no, no, no, no. Please god; if you're listening please make that anyone but Duo Maxwell._

"Well?" the figure demanded.

"Oh, just admiring the view." she replied. She still had yet to turn around and face the newcomer.

"Yeah right, there isn't anything here for the likes of you to view. So I'll ask you again. What are you doing here?"  The tone was definitely irritated.

Shelby spun around gazed at the last person on the colonies she ever wanted to see.  Schooling her features into a look of appraisal she let her eyes travel up and down the irritated form of Duo Maxwell. He stood just over six feet tall with broad well muscled shoulders and chest that tapered down to trim hips. Long chestnut hair pulled back into its habitual braid and eyes such a deep blue they were almost purple. The fact that he was wearing filthy workmen's clothes and was covered in dirt didn't detract his appeal one bit. _Damn but he's beautiful_.

"Oh I don't know about that. Looks like the view is already improving" she replied with a saucy smirk. "WOW. I bet whole flocks of girls cry into their pillows at night thinking about those pretty blues." 

"Cute." Duo's blue eyes didn't appear very flattered, they seemed angry and confused.

Duo was still trying to make out the source of the sensation that had overwhelmed him and practically dragged him here. He was on his way home from work when a strange prickling all over his skin compelled him to go several blocks out of his way to here this rooftop. When he saw the figure on the roof he first thought it was a suicide attempt. Stress and depression were common in the poorer colonies. But when he reached the roof the sensation… changed… somehow. He was sure now she wasn't going to jump, but something about the sexy redhead still struck him as eerie.

 He decided to take a page out of her book and give her a more thorough appraisal. The business suit was neatly pressed, and coordinated perfectly with her leather shoes. The blouse had to be silk _from actual worms_ he thought wryly. What she was wearing probably cost more than most people make in a month here. And all of this was topped with a mass of long, bright red hair framing and elfin face. She stuck out so much, she might as well be wearing a sign saying 'I'm from Earth.' _Nice_ he thought, _very nice. Classy while being damn sexy_.

_Admiring the view my ass. _Deciding the odd sensation he got was an omen of trouble he decided to change tacks.

"Listen lady, we don't want any trouble on this colony. So why don't you just pack up and head back where you came from." 

He started forward as if to escort her off the roof when she gave him another one of her smiles and said "Okay". She then whirled around and sprinted right off the roof.

"NNOOOO!" he yelled. 

He ran to the edge of the roof as if that could somehow keep her from falling. His heart and stomach did a strange sort of bobbling between his chest and throat when got to the edge. He was torn between shock and relief that she didn't fall four stories to the pavement below. Instead she landed neatly on the roof of a passing cargo truck.

_Jesus, I doubt even Trowa would have been skilled or crazy enough to make that jump._ He thought with some awe._ But it takes more than skill or insanity to get rid of me._

**********************

Shelby didn't return to her hotel room until after dark. She was still angry with herself for the flashy exit. She'd been spooked by the fact that he'd found her so easily, and every impulse she had told her to 'RUN AWAY' which is what led her to her earlier foolishness. She walked into her darkened hotel room and went straight to the mini-bar for a bottle of water. She was reaching for one when she sensed him again.

"Whoever you are" she called out to the shadows of her room "there's nothing here to steal that would be worth the world of trouble you'd get for the attempt." Mentally she added_ Please leave, please leave, please leave_ for good measure_._

"Yes it all comes down to trouble doesn't it?" Duo leaned over and turned on the lamp next to the chair he was in. "And YOU lady reek of it." He stood up from the chair and walked over to where he could loom nose to nose over her.

"Excuse me? Who broke into whose hotel room? If there's trouble walking in this room its you. And would you quit hovering over me? You're invading my personal space." Given her earlier idiocy, she tried to sound dignified.

She put her hands on his chest in an effort to shove him away. The jolt of sensation from her touch caused Duo to gasp in shock. Before he could come back to his senses he grabbed her and pulled her into a very rough kiss pushing his tongue into her mouth. He went crazy just from the taste of her, and found himself dragging her to the bed. _This is wrong._ Duo's mind screamed._ I don't do this. I don't force women._ But his body was reluctant to listen to the commands of his mind. With great effort, he started to pull away from her only to have her grab two fistfuls of his hair and lock his mouth to hers with a little moan of approval. His mind completely shut down after that. He was vaguely aware of external things like the sound of tearing cloth or that they were only half on the bed. His whole being was focused on his need to be inside this woman, and inside her NOW. As soon as he freed his painfully throbbing cock from his pants he slid it deep into her and let loose a groan of pleasure. He tried to go slow to ensure her enjoyment, but he already felt his climax tingling in his balls. He quickly pulled the cup of her bra down and clamped his mouth down the exposed breast causing her to shriek.  His thrusts picked up speed, as did her cries until she announced the arrival of her orgasm with scream. A heartbeat later he came with a force that made him see stars. 

Catching his breath, levered himself up to looked down at her "Hi, I'm Duo. Duo Maxwell."  He added with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you."


	2. Chapter 2

Shelby had to giggle at the oddness of the situation. She new exactly who was lying on top of her (and inside for that matter) even though she had to behave like she had just met him. Add to that they had sex before they even 'knew' each other's names. 

"Hello Duo I'm Shelby. Shelby Allyce McGuire. And you're right it was a definite pleasure meeting you." She stretched languidly and gave on almost feline purr. 

Duo leaned over her looking slightly smug about his sexual prowess. "Are you sure about that? Because I'm sure I could do better." It was then that he realized he still quite hard. Following impulse he slowly pulled himself almost all the way out then thrust deep and hard back into her. 

"You can…oh…. do bet…..ohhhh….better?"  Shelby was losing the thread of the conversation to the delicious sensations Duo was creating inside her.

Duo didn't bother to respond. Watching Shelby fall victim to his lovemaking skills was one of the most erotic things he'd ever witnessed. He slid his hand between their bodies and stroked the sensitive bud of flesh hidden in its nest of curls.   

Her response was instantaneous. Her back arched off the bed, and she started to cry out incoherently. She was completely unable to put the deep electrical fire sensations that were coursing through her body into words.  When he sucked her nipple back into his mouth she exploded into an orgasm so intense she half expected the hotel room to have sustained physical damage.

"I can't hold on baby." Duo was shocked to find he was on the verge of coming again. Shit, she was just so damn sexy and responsive it was impossible to hold on to his control. He looked down at her. Her cheeks were flushed; she was breathing heavily, her hazel/green eyes looked directly into his. 

"Then come for me baby."  She said as she caressed his cheek. With a shout, he poured himself into her.

He wasn't sure how long it took to return to sanity, but he eventually took a look around to survey the damage. The pretty business suit was a total loss. There wasn't a tailor alive who could salvage the damage he'd done to it. He was surprised to find his own shirt seemed to be minus a few buttons and gaping open. They both still had their feet on the floor. His feet still had his pants tangled around them. _Oh classy Maxwell, real classy. Break into her room, yell at her, rip her clothes off and screw her with all the finesse of a horny teenager. Oh yeah, I've got class._ He pulled away, trying to cover himself up. Unable to control the sudden feeling of self consciousness he spoke just to break the silence.

"Uh…sorry about your clothes."

"What?" She opened her eyes and looked down at the tatters of cloth still hanging from her shoulders and arms "Oh. Aw damn. You owe me Maxwell." She glared at him with mock anger while her eyes sparkled with humor. "I'll just have to take my payment out on your very cute ass."  

"MMMM… I think I could do that." He made as if to move in on her again, but she stopped him.

"Not just yet. Sorry, but I haven't eaten since breakfast and right now I'm starving. Besides," she added suggestively, "you need to rebuild your energy. Why don't you call room service and order two of whatever you like while I umm…go get cleaned up." she blushed at the last bit. She got up and headed to the bathroom removing what was left of her suit on the way.

*******************

Shelby watched the sleeping form of her lover. _Her lover_. Those two words had meanings on so many levels. First, because who and what she was always interfered with her relationships with men. The handful of times she'd tried sex before left her dissatisfied and disappointed. Second, was that it was Duo. She'd fantasized so many times when she was a girl about what it'd be like to be held or kissed by him. Third, was despite her secret yearnings she was never supposed to get within a hundred kilometers of him. She sighed. She'd have to tell Anna. 

 She closed her eyes and sent her mind out to the far distant earth. 

_Anna. Anna can you hear me are you awake? _

_Shelby__?_ Came the puzzled mental reply. _Of course I'm awake it's the middle of the afternoon here. What's wrong? How come you're contacting me telepathically?_

_He's here Anna. Duo is here asleep beside me._ Her feelings gave the impression of embarrassment and sexual satisfaction at the same time. 

_Have you lost it? _Anna's tone was slightly panicked. _Leave now. You know you shouldn't be anywhere near him. He's very intuitive. What if he starts sensing your connection to him?_

This was the part Shelby didn't want to admit to. _He already has._

_WHAT???_

Shelby let the memories of the days earlier events fill her mind showing Anna that Duo foundher twice without effort. She stopped at the moment they first kissed. _Please Anna. Can't I have him just for a moment?_ She was a little surprised to hear how desperate her tone sounded.

Anna's tone was sympathetic but firm. _Shel, you know I love you and want you to be happy, but this has disaster written all over it. If you stay too long he's going to find out who you really are. He's going to feel Deathscythe in you. _

_Oh really?_ Shelby replied tartly. I was unfair of her to attack Anna, but she hated the idea of leaving Duo. _Because I was thinking of opening up with that first thing in the morning.__ How's this? So Duo what do you do?.... Really?.... Well I live under a series of secret identities to hide the fact that I have an illegally augmented brain complete with super psionic powers that could destroy this whole colony. _  

Anna let out a mental sigh. _Alright I'll stay out of it. But I'm not kidding DON"T STAY TOO LONG._ And the mental connection was severed. 

Again Shelby looked over at Duo. _What would you do, _she wondered _if you knew it was your Deathscythe next to you? _ 

As if in answer to her question her mind filled with images from eighty year old news clips that she'd seen.

In the initial brain augment experiments eighty years ago, the scientists felt they had produced a fairly good copy of the neural transmitter found in people who were naturally psychic or empathic but the natural ability was vague and inconsistent. In theory, supplementing their copy to the natural one would increase mental ability. Their theory proved correct but with a disastrous side effect. The test subjects went completely and violently insane. Worse, they wielded incredible paranormal abilities. In one day they wreaked havoc over an entire city. Almost twelve thousand people died, and hundreds of thousands were injured. 

The public outcry was swift and brutal.

Shelby shivered at the memories that were clouding her mind.

The Earth Sphere Alliance used the brain augment disaster as a means of gaining public popularity. They immediately forced through a law threatening any scientist who was "tampering with human evolution" to lifelong jail terms. Most of the test subjects died or were killed in the disaster, but any that were found were to be humanely terminated.

If Shelby wasn't careful, "humanely terminated" would be her future. She shivered again. Duo somehow sensed she needed comfort, and reached over in his sleep pull her close. Safe in his arms she fell into a nightmare free sleep.

*****************

Duo watched the sleeping woman beside him using the opportunity to study her without her knowing. He no longer thought she was here to cause trouble. When he awoke that morning, it was to a sense of rightness and contentment. He figured that must have been a byproduct of ending his sexual drought with such a spectacular night of sex.

One of Duo's hands grabbed a lock of her red hair. Strange, he thought feeling and smelling the lock. As much as he liked his own hair and thought it looked cool, it always irritated him when women wanted to touch it. He could never understand how women would think a grown man would like to be petted and groomed like a Pomeranian. Yet here he was fondling a women's hair enjoying the soft texture and scent. His eyes traveled down to her shoulders and widened at what he found. _Freckles._ He smiled to himself. _She's got freckles on her shoulders. That's so cute._ He angled himself to get a better lookat the face that was turned away from him. Sure enough there was a light dusting of them across the bridge of her nose. He couldn't understand why he found them so adorable on her. He'd never been particularly attracted to freckled women before. He placed small open mouth kisses across her shoulders gently nipping one or two of the larger freckles with his teeth.

"MMMM… Good morning." She murmured sleepily. She had yet to open her eyes.

"Not yet. But it will be in about thirty seconds." He warned.

"What?"

Duo rolled her from her side to her belly placing some pillows under her hips in the move. He gave a quick stroke of the soft feminine flesh before guided himself deep into her.   

*************

"I don't want to sound like I'm trying to get rid of you or anything, but aren't you supposed to be at work or something?"  Shelby wasn't ready to let Duo go just yet. However she didn't want to get him fired on her account. 

"No. I called in while you were still sleeping. I told them I had a friend in from earth, and I was going to show her around the colony." 

"Ahh and I'd guess you neglected to tell them that twenty four hours ago you didn't know I existed. Tsk Tsk. So what sights are you going to show me? Remember I've only got a couple of days here."

'Well today I thought I'd give you an in depth exclusive tour of Me. Tomorrow I might actually let you see some of the rest of the colony."

"An exclusive tour of you huh? Where do we start?"


	3. Chapter 3

Duo knew he was in trouble. In two short days he was already falling head over heels for the sexy redhead. Yesterday they'd literally spent all day in bed. Laughing, eating, watching the old movie vids, and making love. He had to grimace at how sappy he sounded, but there was no better thing to call it.

As promised, today he'd taken her around the colony. There were only two major green parks and they walked around both of them. The second one had a holo vendor. After taking a holographic picture of them the vendor then tried to sell them their image programmed into a wide array of tacky trinkets. Duo settled for a paperweight that projected the image of them when you pushed on it. Shelby seemed to be having difficulty deciding. 

"How about the locket?" he asked her.

"Hmm?" she didn't really hear him. Her mind was far away in old memories.

"The locket. It's actually one of the nicer items here."  He turned to the vendor "How much for the gold locket?" 

The vendor quoted him a price. He hoped his wince wasn't too obvious. He turned back to Shelby and noticed her eyes still had that far away look.   

"Hey if you don't like it we could get something else."

"What? No. The locket is fine. I was just remembering something."  Seeing the concern in his face she decided she could confide in him a little.

"My family died when I was six. My mother used to wear a locket with a picture of all of us in it. I didn't take their deaths very well. I became a social caseworker's nightmare. For my eleventh birthday I decided to steal myself a locket as a present and got caught. The experience turned out to be life altering for me."

Her voice had taken on a flat tone as if she was no longer hurt by her memories. Duo wasn't fooled. If there was one thing he knew, it was that childhood tragedies hurt for decades.

"I'm sorry." He said gently. "I didn't mean to upset you. Let's just forget about the locket and go do something else." 

"No." she gave herself a little shake to get rid of her mood. "You know what? It's time I had some good locket memories. And with a picture of you in there I'll definitely have good memories with this one."  Shelby turned to the vendor who had kept his expression carefully bland during to whole discussion. "I'll take a locket."

Duo was shocked. He didn't know another time in his life that anyone had said anything so flattering about him. That she would see him as a joy that could soothe such a deep emotional wound made him want to cry, or laugh, or sing, or do something to express the feeling that was threatening to burst from his chest. Oh crap. He was in big trouble. He wasn't falling. He'd already landed with a huge impact crater. 

He was in love, and he hadn't a clue what to do about it.  

Shelby was busy paying for and collecting her newly programmed locket. Unaware of Duo's private musings she put it on and spun to face him. "So whaddaya think?"

His response was to grab her roughly and kiss her brainless. 

"Come on. Let's go out tonight. I've the urge to show you off." Duo started dragging her back towards the park entrance.

"Uh, okay. I think like to change first." Shelby was startled by the riot of emotions she was picking up from Duo's mind. Joy, fear, excitement, nervousness, and several others seemed to be at war inside of him.  Since the overall feeling was positive, she decided not to worry.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing now?"  He inquired. "You look great." Duo was eying the old faded jeans and tank top that were clinging to every curve on Shelby's body. If she looked any better to him he'd be sporting a permanent erection. "C'mon gorgeous, the people you'll be meeting will be dressed way scruffier than you."

************

Duo was in hell. When he first entered the nightclub he winced at how dark and dingy it must have seemed to Shelby. It never bothered him when he was out with his buddies from work, but now it didn't seem clean enough for the likes of her. The second problem arrived just as Duo was getting their drinks. With their shift over, his buddies from work arrived. They took one look at Shelby and decided Duo was excess baggage she needed to be rid of. They did everything to draw her attention away from him by joking, flirting, and dancing with her. Okay so maybe he got more dances with her than any of the other guys, but that wasn't the point. And just to make matters REALLY awkward some of the girls he'd dated showed up. Seeing his discomfort, they flirted with and teased him in front of Shelby. Christ, he didn't treat them that badly did he? The only blessing was that Hilde didn't show up with stories of their failed romance.   

"So what made you decide to become a colony engineer?"  Shelby asked in an attempt to get him back into the conversation. 

"I've always been mechanically inclined. I had a pair of friends of mine who were going to resume the schooling that was interrupted by the war. One of them has a lot of money so I took shameless advantage of his generosity to help pay for my tuition. Now I spend my life keeping this floating piece of junk livable."  Duo was horrified to realize how moody he sounded.

 "You're lucky you had a friend to help you. I had to work in a place like this as an 'incinerate girl' to pay for my tuition." Judging from Shelby's expression, she expected that to mean something to him. She failed. Everyone was gaping at her with no clue as to what she was talking about. 

 "Oh come on!? An incinerate girl! Surely you've heard of Incinerate?"

Indeed they had all heard of incinerate. It was a highly potent alcohol served in vials smaller than his little finger. It tasted like battery acid, and was only good for getting really drunk, really quick. Four vials put a man flat on his ass; five vials meant he was shopping for a new liver. 

An unholy gleam came into Shelby's eyes, and Duo couldn't suppress the feeling of impending doom. With a smile that had way too many teeth she said "Oh this is going to be fun, REALLY FUN."  He just knew it would be _her_ fun at _his_ expense.


	4. Chapter 4

Shelby looked carefully around at the men surrounding her. She reached out and pulled on Kev's sleeve "C'mon I'll need a partner and you'll do" dragging Kev with her to talk to the owner/bartender. 

_Now why the hell did she pick him?_ Duo thought, unable to control the wave of jealousy. The kid was barely legal, and he was too dammed pretty to be male. Duo didn't take his eyes off the group at the bar; ignoring the jibes from those around him. The bartender's face lit up and seemed to be agreeing with Shelby's plan. Duo mentally steeled himself for whatever was coming next.

Duo watched in a kind of fascinated horror as Shelby kicked off her shoes and proceeded to climb barefoot onto the bar. She then took hold of the beat of the music and proceeded to sway her hips suggestively. By now she had the attention of everyone in the place. She then started to raise the bottom of her shirt. Duo stormed over to the bar keenly aware of the cheers from the men in the crowd. All of them were thinking that she was about to strip. But Duo was brought up short when he saw her stop just below her breasts. Ignoring the disappointed grumbles in the crowd, she hooked her thumbs into her pants and pushed them as low as the waistband would allow. Still moving seductively she knelt on the bar turning her exposed back to Kev. Having completely forgotten about him, Duo was surprised to see he was standing very close to Shelby with a wedge of orange in his hand. Watching Kev smear the orange across his woman's lower back Duo thought _Yep he's gonna have to die. It's unfortunate, he's a nice kid, but I'm going to have to kill him. Or at least break both his arms._ It was then he noticed Shelby was crooking her finger at him calling him to her.     

"Come here lover." It was amazing he heard her over the jeers and catcalls. 

She was now lying on the bar with her head up, arching her back as much as possible. As if on cue, Kev took a vial of incinerate and poured it slowly onto her back. The minute amount of liquid pooled right into the small of her back where the orange had been smeared._ You have got to be kidding me._ Unable to resist the temptation, he reached over to grab her hips.

"Uh uh. No touching. I'm a professional. Kev, hold his hands."

Secretly reiterating his promise to break Kev's arms, Duo let his hands be held away while he drank from Shelby's back. Not surprisingly it didn't taste at all like battery acid. There was the tangy sweetness of the orange combined with the unmistakable taste of woman. The whole concoction was more erotic and intoxicating than the vial alone would ever be.

Shelby wasn't done there. She flipped over onto her back giving her navel the same treatment. Only this time it was a maraschino cherry she used.  

By the time he lifted his head from her belly, Duo realized he was fully hard and almost fully drunk. He was not drunk enough however to drown out the offers and pleas from other men in the bar.

"Sorry boys" she said while putting her shoes back on "but I only came out of retirement for this private performance." The heated look she gave him would have turned him bright pink if wasn't already flushed from alcohol and arousal.

He couldn't stand it anymore he needed her right now. He grabbed her off the bar and dragged her to the back. He walked right passed the restrooms and straight out the back door. He pulled her deep into the shadowed alleyway where they wouldn't be seen, Duo kissed Shelby with all the frenzy of their first coupling. His head was spinning making it hard to focus, but he knew he had focus and say what he needed to before made love to her.   

"Shelby there's something I need to say although I wish I wasn't drunk right now because then you're gonna think I on'y said it 'cause I was dunk … I mean drunk. C'mon Duo hold it t'gether." With a great effort he tried to gather what was left of his wits. "Shelby, I'm crazy in love with you. I want you to be with me always." There he'd said it. Was he that drunk or was she crying?

"I love you too Duo. I always have, and I always will." She reached up to stroke his cheek. Tears were pouring freely down her face.

"Oh gooood. I was afr….afriad….afraid…" then he passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

Duo knew he was driving his motorcycle too recklessly again, but he didn't care. He didn't care much about anything these days. Except that Shelby had been missing for a month now. As expected, the memories of their last time together filled his mind. The great joy he felt at hearing her say she loved him. _I know I didn't dream it_. Then the devastation at waking up alone the next morning with all traces of her removed from the hotel room. He remembered how he raged and harassed the front desk staff when they told him 'Ms. Kit' had paid her bill and checked out a few hours ago.

That was the first time he realized something was wrong with her since their first meeting. Why does she live under false names? If she was a criminal why not stiff him with the hotel bill? Was she married and saw him as a little side fun? Why did she run from him? The last question never seemed to leave his mind. A part of him couldn't shake the feeling she was in some kind of trouble. _Not that she trusted me enough to confide in me._ Oh Christ, he hurt so much. It was like the hangover he woke up with that morning decided to lodge itself in his chest and stay there throbbing in time with his pulse.   

Duo had changed over the past month. The people he worked with were treating him like the plague. Even Hilde threatened to send him out an airlock if he didn't check his attitude. Instead she placed him on waste recycling duty. It was a dirty, smelly, isolated job that had to be rotated every three or four days to avoid worker stress. The fact that Duo had been placed on it for sixteen days straight was very telling about how popular his new short-tempered mood swings were with his co-workers.

Duo parked his bike and started up to his apartment, but was stopped by two tall figures standing in his way. One was only slightly shorter than Duo with a similar build to him. His platinum blond hair was ruffling in the artificial wind. The taller man was long and lean, and staring at him with emerald eyes.

"Trowa? Quatre?"  Duo asked, not quite believing his eyes. For Duo it was like he'd lived a month long nightmare that his friends just woke him up from. 

"Trowa! Quatre!"  He repeated with more confidence. "It's good to see you!" he made as if to hug them, but Quatre held up a hand stopping him.

With his nose wrinkled in disgust Quatre said "It's good to see you too Duo, but I think I'll wait 'til you wash up before I greet you." Trowa had his hand covering his mouth and nose nodding in agreement. Duo suddenly became aware that he probably smelled like a giant sewer rat, with god knows what in his hair and on his clothes. He couldn't believe his obsession with Shelby made him forget how much he hated being dirty.   

"Right." And without another word or looking back to see if they followed, he went straight up to his apartment and straight into his bathroom for a very long, very hot shower.

**************

Quatre was shocked at the state of Duo's apartment. Contrary to common belief, Duo was actually very meticulous about his living environment. While they were in school together, neither Quatre nor Trowa had to lecture Duo even once about dirty dishes or laundry lying around. 

"Perhaps there's some truth to the rumors after all." Trowa said, gazing over the chaos and trash in the apartment. 

"That Duo got his heart broken? He's usually the heart breaker, but something is clearly upsetting him. How about I take the kitchen, you take the living room and we'll see if we can't keep his apartment from becoming a major bio-hazard." Quatre was already gathering dirty dishes while he said it.

"Agreed" and Trowa went off to the other room.

Quatre quickly loaded the dishes into the washer and dumped the mountain of take out food containers into the garbage. A quick glance at the fridge and cupboards told him Duo probably hadn't bought groceries in a few weeks. He grabbed anything that appeared expired or rotten, and tossed them all out. While he was working he couldn't stop looking over at Duo's computer. His mind waged a little war between his curiosity and his conscience_._ His curiosity won. 

Most of the files were easy to hack into. The only difficult one was a file called 'SAM'. Quatre went through the easy files first. While scrolling through the Duo's financial records, his eyes fell on a paperweight next to the computer. Pushing it he saw and image of Duo looking cocky as ever with his arms wrapped around the waist of the redheaded woman in front of him. It was the woman who drew Quatre's focus. 

"So you're the cause of all this trouble." And he proceeded to hack into the SAM file.

The first thing he saw was a death certificate for Shelby Allyce McGuire who died at the age of six. The next thing he saw was an old news clip about how a six year old girl with the same name miraculously survived a car crash when everyone else in her family died. The clip showed a picture of the girl. Bright carrot red hair, her smile showed off her missing a front tooth. Quatre took a good look at the picture of the girl, and compared it to the holo of the woman. There was no doubt they had to be the same person. _Interesting,_ thought Quatre _did she fake her death willingly? Or did someone fake it for her?_

"She's quite pretty for a dead woman." Trowa said from behind him "A little more classy than his usual type." A little ashamed to be caught snooping, Quatre nodded in agreement. Duo had a habit of dating the cheap trashy kind. Trowa gave him a nudge on the shoulder "Hurry up the water's stopped running." Quatre shut off the computer and the two waited for Duo to emerge from his shower. 

Duo came out with a towel slung round his hips and a second one trying to dry his extensive length of hair.

"So guys, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Duo asked. His tone fell well short of his usual charming and carefree manner.

Quatre gave Duo a meaningful glare. "If you'd returned any of our messages, you would know we were trying to ask you if you wanted to come with us on our visit to earth." 

"You're going to earth?" a fanatical intensity colored Duo's features. It gave both his friends the creeps.

"If you had taken the time to contact any of us over the past several weeks you would have known that Relena is having one of her parties and has invited us all to attend. It seems she and Heero have finally resolved whatever was wrong with their on-again/off-again relationship. They appear to be a solid couple now." Quatre got the impression that Duo was only half listening.

"Yeah, well sorry about not calling. I've been a little preoccupied. So Heero and Relena are happy in love. Isn't that just too peachy for words." He didn't even try to control the bitter tone in his voice.

"Speaking of love and happiness" Trowa added quietly, "who's this?" Quatre looked over at Trowa who was holding Duo's sketchpad open to a sketch of Duo and his mystery woman. Quatre wanted to wince at Trowa's tactless broach of the subject, but he was too shocked by the picture. 

The picture showed Duo sitting with his legs folded under him. The woman was facing away from him straddling his lap. Her head was arched back and resting on his shoulder, an expression of pure pleasure on her face. Duo's head was bent down so only the top was visible. His trademark braid falling between her breasts. The sketch should have been lewd, but the positioning of Duo's hands across her breasts and cupping between her legs made it seem loving. Very few people new about Duo's habit for sketching out his thoughts and feelings; this sketch spoke volumes.  

Duo's was livid. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? Do you think you can just walk in here and invade my privacy?" he snatched the pad away from Trowa. 

Trying to keep peace, Quatre jumped between them. "Duo we've been worried about you. We're your closest friends, yet you haven't talked to us. We had to go through Hilde to find you. And you don't want to know what she had to say about you." Quatre managed to control his guilt at snooping into what was a very private matter for Duo. "Look, you don't have to tell us who she is or what happened between you. We'll wait until you're ready. In the meantime, why don't you come with us to earth for some fun." 

Duo had already made up his mind to go to earth days ago. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced something was wrong. He was convinced Shelby was in trouble, and he needed to find her. 

He looked up at his friends. He knew he could tell them anything without fear of being ridiculed or judged. He found he wasn't ready to confess his vulnerability to his friends despite his confidence in them. On the other hand, earth was a big place to find one woman. Their help would go a long way. Practicality won.  

"Her name is Shelby." Duo stared fixedly at his sketch. "We met about a month ago."

He told them everything. Initially he had meant to give them just the basic information they would need to help him. It was as if all the pain and insecurities that had been haunting him for the past month forced its way out. The only part he kept to himself was the memories of their lovemaking.

"With all these false identities of hers I can't help getting the feeling she's in trouble." Duo finished. They were all sitting in his living room. Duo was still wearing a towel. 

Quatre leaned forward "So you don't have any idea where she might be? That's going to make it very difficult to find her." 

"Tell me something I don't know. She's on earth. That's all I'm sure of." 

"I still can't figure how she made that jump off the building." Trowa added puzzled.

"That one stumped me too. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it." Duo replied.

"Did you actually see her land on the truck? Maybe she had some sort of equipment. I can't believe you didn't ask her about it while you were together."  

_Trust Trowa to obsess over the weirdest details._ "Well buddy, you can go ahead and ask her when we find her."

"I take it you are going to come with us to earth?" Quatre asked.

"Definitely"

He would find Shelby, and he wouldn't let her go until he discovered every secret she held.


	6. Chapter 6

Relena's party was small informal get together at her work. Only two or three hundred co-workers and close friends had been invited. She was celebrating some big legal deal with some of the colonies. Duo wasn't actually paying attention when Quatre tried to explain it to him. He did notice that most of his friends were attending

"Duo you came!" Smiled a transformed Heero Yuy. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for weeks. We almost thought you weren't coming." Heero was talking with his fellow preventors Wufei, Sally and Director Une.   

Taking mental note of the changes in his best friend, Duo found he was at war with himself. A part of him wanted to be happy for Heero. Being trained to be the 'perfect soldier' always gave everyone the impression that Heero's humanity had been scoured away. Occasionally, and with more frequency after the war, people close to him would see little glimmers of his true nature surfacing. It was kind of like watching a skittish animal coming out into the open after a long winter's hibernation. Here he was now all cheerful smiles thanks to his lovely girlfriend Relena. Duo felt ill. His skin itched from being here with all these happy people while he was miserable.

Pasting what he hoped was a friendly smile on his face he Quatre, and Trowa walked over to his friends.

"Hey everyone it's good to see you. Sally, Une, your looking gorgeous as ever. Wufei, Heero, well personally I think you're both ugly as sin, but you're looking well." Duo had to get away. He knew he was going into overkill trying to be his same old fun loving self. "Yeah of course I came. You know I never say no to free food. Speaking of which, I think I'll go find myself something to eat." And he fled from his friends. 

"Who in the world was that?" Sally asked taken aback by Duo's retreat.

Heero who had been looking forward to catching up with his best friend turned to Trowa and Quatre. "What was that all about?" he asked them.

"Duo is suffering from a broken heart." Trowa answered quietly.

Wufei scoffed "How bad could it be? That baboon's relationships don't last past the three hour mark."

"I wouldn't laugh Wufei." Quatre added seriously. "He's quite devastated by it." Quatre quickly outlined the story of Duo's mystery woman. 

"So he hopes to find her on earth?" asked Sally. She saw she wasn't the only one trying to picture Duo in love. "Impossible as it probably is, it's also kind of romantic."  

The topic of their gossip chose that moment to return. Duo didn't need to be a genius to know their sudden silence and stares meant they were talking about him. He figured it would be better if he left. The pricking sensation he associated with their stares was getting to him. Fortunately they all became distracted by Relena's arrival who hugged Trowa, Quatre and himself. He was just about to make his excuse and leave when she looked at him intently. 

"Duo, are you okay? You don't look so good. You live in L2 don't you? Sam Fox just got back from there and she looks dreadful. I hope there's…"  

Duo rudely overrode her "_Who_ was there?" but he didn't need the answer. He knew who it was. The prickling sensation he was feeling told him. Shelby was near. Focusing on the sensation he could tell she was above and behind him to the left. He turned toward the stairs.

"Duo where are you going?" Heero asked grabbing Duo's arm. The sudden change in his manner put the soldier in Heero on alert.

"She's here" Duo broke free of the hold and made a beeline for the stairs ignoring Quatre's comments about the chances of it being Shelby.

Following his senses, he found himself standing in the doorway of and office. The woman in the office was looking out the window, and giving holy hell to whoever had the misfortune of being on the phone with her. Quietly creeping in he hid behind a side door in the office so he could watch her for a few moments.

"Look just cut the bullshit routine. Draw up the papers and send them to me by next week." She turned around and slammed the receiver into its cradle.

Watching the woman who'd haunted him for the past month from his hiding place; Duo had to clamp down on the exultation he felt. She looked so…so… terrible. She'd lost weight, she was pale and there dark circles under her eyes. Maybe it was small of him, but he was glad to she had also suffered during their forced separation. He watched as she engaged her vid phone. The image of a man in his fifties appeared.

"Well hello Ms. Fox what can I get for you?" the man piped cheerfully.

"Hi Val, I'd like whatever the soup of the day is. I'll pick it up on my way home. Say thirty minutes?" She was rubbing her temples with her hands.

"It's not that I don't like your business, but you should be at the party there. A pretty woman should be out having fun, not at home by herself." 

Duo left his hiding spot and came up behind Shelby.

"Thanks Val but I just don't…"   

"I think he's right." Duo said behind her.

Shelby spun around and squeaked out his name. Shock and alarm were written all over her face.

"You shouldn't be alone." Never taking his eyes off of her Duo spoke up. "Add an extra soup to that order, plus two of your house specials, and two of her favorite dessert."  

Seeing that he was going to get no response from Ms Fox, Val ended the call with a "Yes sir."

"Duo" Shelby said backing away from him. "Duo you shouldn't be here."

Duo closed in on her. "Shut up." 

"Please Duo just leave. Forget you ev--" that was as far as she got.

"I said shut up." Backing her into the wall Duo added "Don't ask me to leave, don't tell me to forget that I found you, and _don't even think_ about suggesting that I ignore the way we feel about each other. I don't know why you ran, I don't know what trouble you're in, but I do know you will tell me. _Cause I'm not leaving 'til I find out. _" 

Too tired, and too miserable to argue she simply said "All right Duo."

"Good" cupping her face, he kissed her passionately telling her how much he needed and missed her.


	7. Chapter 7

Irena had never had so demanding a boss as Ms. Fox. The woman was a perfectionist. Unfortunately, not everyone was as dedicated to their work as Fox was. That led to ugly nicknames like 'Ice bitch' and 'office dragon'. Irena knew better. Strict as she was, she always rewarded people for good work. Ms Fox had always given Irena time off when she needed it and tickets to events Irena expressed interest in.

So when she walked in to see her boss pressed up against the wall by some man who was trying to swallow her whole, Irena was too stunned to move or speak. She couldn't even look away when her friend came down the hall to get her.

"Irena, haven't you dropped those files off yet? We'll miss all of the…HOLY SHIT!" 

The two women stared speechless as Ms Fox and the gorgeous-hunk-of-a-yummy-man parted lips and took notice of the intruders on their privacy. 

Shelby knew she made a picture. Eyes red from crying, lips bruised from kissing, Duo standing over her hiding his erection against her hip. She tried to summon as much dignity as she had. "Just leave the files Irena, and go have fun at the party." Irena quickly took the hint and did just that. Shelby could practically hear the gossip already. "Well so much for my professional reputation." She said sadly.

"What professional reputation? It's a false identity. Just get a new one. You seem to be very good at it."

That woke her up from her brooding and made her angry. "Do you think I _like_ living like this?" She yelled. "I have degrees in Law, Business, and Physics. I worked hard and earned every one of them. But skipping around changing my name every few years makes anything I work for useless!" She reigned in her temper. This was not the place to discuss the woes of being Shelby McGuire. 

Throwing some things into her briefcase she grabbed her coat and turned to Duo. "Well? Are you coming?"  

By the time they got to the downstairs Duo's temper was also up. He was almost thankful for it as it distracted him the throbbing in his groin. This wasn't going at all like he wanted. He somehow hoped he could trap her in bed for a month or two, and then when she trusted him completely she could tell him what was troubling her. 

He took a look around the massive lobby where the party was being held. Judging by the curious stares they got it was obvious news of their impromptu make-out session had spread fast. Duo grabbed her hand and dragged her to the door. He only stopped when they reached the parking lot.

***********

The first thing Duo noticed was the smell. He walked into her apartment with his arms loaded down with dinner and was assaulted by the scent that was uniquely Shelby. The arousal he'd been ignoring before tripled in intensity making him want to whimper. His body knew its mate was close and didn't want to be denied any longer. _Easy boy. Just a little bit longer I promise._ Moving to the table Duo unpacked dinner and sat down to wait for her. He managed to contain his need for a whole two minutes until Shelby leaned over to put a plate and cutlery in front of him. When her hair tickled his arm he couldn't help thinking about some of his other body parts he'd like her hair to tickle. Thinking of her hair across his belly while her mouth enveloped him shattered his self control.  

Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her into his lap. Her mouth met his matching his ardor. Their tongues battled together while she adjusted her position to straddle his legs. She ground herself against the bulge in his pants making both of them moan. Duo moved his mouth down the side of her neck while he unbuttoned her blouse. Never stopping the grinding of her hips, Shelby leaned back to allow him full access to her breasts. He loved the little mewling noises she made as he licked her nipple into a tight bud and sucked it into his mouth. 

Shelby pulled her hips away so she could free Duo's hard length. Wrapping her hand around his shaft she started to stroke him. The panting sounds Duo made encouraged her to shift her butt off his lap and replace it with her head. She lowered her face and surrounded the dripping head with the wet heat of her mouth. She slowly moved her head forward trying to get as much of him as she could.   

Duo watched his fantasy come to life.

"Shel honey…holy fuck…oh Jesus that feels so good."  

He desperately wanted to come like that, but he forced himself to remember he was supposed to be seducing her. Pulling her up, he forced her to stand. He removed her slacks and panties so he could nuzzle the curls between her legs. She let out a strangled gasp when he slid two fingers deep into her. He opened his mouth and flicked his tongue over her a few times.

She came hard. So hard her legs wouldn't hold her. As her knees buckled he guided her so she was impaled on him. He forced himself to wait a moment until her eyes regained focus. Shelby opened her eyes and looked directly into Duo's.  

"I love you Shel."

"I love you too Duo." 

Hearing that, he griped her hips and they rode each other over the edge of sanity. 

*********

Satiated. It was a good word, and never in Duo's life did he find it truer that right now. Great sex, a pretty good steak dinner that managed to survive reheating, and the woman he loved sharing it with him.  They were snuggled on the sofa, listening to the rain outside. Noticing her quiet, he gently nipped her ear.

"Hey are you falling asleep on me?" he asked

"No." There was a long silent pause before she spoke again. "I'm marveling at what a selfish coward I am. I keep stalling to avoid telling you the truth." She got up to stand in front of him.

All the good feelings Duo had been feeling disappeared. "Is that what you call it? Stalling?"

"No I call it one last great memory before you leave." She replied. 

Duo got up and was going to let her know just what he thought of that, but something strange happened that stopped him. A throw pillow leapt off the sofa and smacked him in the head. An icy cold ran down his spine as his mind tried to register what he just saw. He knew there was no one else in the room, but pillows just don't fly around of their own accord. He turned to Shelby. She had a calm sad look on her face. What happened next made Duo cry out and jump backwards onto the sofa. 

Shelby levitated into the air. _Duo_ she said quite clearly in his head, _it's time I told you the truth about myself._


	8. Chapter 8

Duo deliberately avoided the fact that Shelby's feet were about a dozen centimeters from the floor and started to yell.

"NO! No don't tell me! I don't have to know! We're happy now. We don't need this to ruin it!"

_No Duo._ She said mentally. It made him flinch, but she had to force him to accept the truth. 

"Most of my life is a lie." she switched to talking. "I live that way so I can keep on living. But a life with you built on a lie would be hell on us both." 

She moved toward him but stopped when he pulled back in revulsion. She could almost hear the cracking in her heart. _This has to be done_ she said to herself. Being right didn't make her feel any better. Summoning all her reserves of strength she proceeded to tell him what she'd never told anyone else. 

"I'm what you would call a brain augment, although I prefer the term psionic. You may remember how I told you I was caught stealing a locket when I was eleven. Well my caseworker had heard of this new program that seemed to have great success rehabilitating troubled youths. 'OZ something' she called it." 

Duo could only nod. He'd heard of such recruiting tactics, and knew Oz had used them.

"Of course I never made it to the program. A rival of Treize Kushrenada, a man named Tolin Caruthers was culling a few 'select' candidates for his own program. He planned on using us to gain power in the Romefeller foundation. To be a 'select candidate' you needed three things. You had to have no family, preferably a troublemaker. That way you were disposable. You had to be young. Assuming a young mind was more malleable. And finally, you had to have shown some sort of natural paranormal ability. 

I only met three other test subjects. Tav was a street kid who had visions. He became a metazone addict to escape his visions. Cyber, whose real name was Robert lived with a gang, he had a hacking ability that was precognitive in nature. Anna displayed empathic abilities when she was a toddler. Foster families kept sending her back to of the orphanage she lived in because she freaked them out. And I…"

"And you 'miraculously' survived a car crash that should have killed you along with the rest of your family." Duo said quietly. He didn't know what to think. In some ways, he could understand. It was like a distorted reflection of his childhood. Part of the reason he was chosen to pilot a gundam was because he was a clever street kid. His quick mind and body were ideal for training purposes, his lack of family meant no one would care if he died during his missions.

It was the whole brain augment part he couldn't wrap his mind around. It was like finding out his lover was a vampire, or werewolf, or an alien from another galaxy. Christ, he'd seen dozens of horror/action vids about mad augments escaping and terrorizing the population until the hero killed them and saved the day. His mind became swamped with doubts. _Is she dangerous? She doesn't seem insane yet. How can this be true? Could she be lying?_

"I understand this is difficult for you." She said quietly "Perhaps this will help you to understand."

Just as he was about to say "what will?" he felt his mind moving through something. A lot of somethings. He kind of felt like a bumble bee in a vast field of flowers that stretched as far as the eye could see. And then, he _was_ a bee in a field being guided by an unseen force to a particular flower. 

_Nice imagery_ said the unseen force which he knew to be Shelby. 

_What is this?_ He asked wondering what she was doing to him.

_You're in my mind. The bee/flower imagery you sense is your mind coming up with a tangible relation to what you experiencing. All these flowers are my memories and thoughts. I've taken you here so I may show you what I've never shown anyone else. I'm going to show you how I came to be as I am._

He felt the Shelby/Duo bee descend to a flower and was enveloped by her memories. He was in her body, experiencing things as she remembered experiencing them. He/she knew she was in a very sterile looking white cell. Even the clothes she was wearing were white. 

She was leaning against the toilet in the cell shaking. She was shaking because she'd been throwing up for hours. She continued to gag long after her stomach was empty of its contents. Fucking treatments always did this to her. First the needles that injected liquid fire into her veins _at least I'd learned to stop crying like a baby when that happened._ Then there was the…what'd they call it…oh yeah…catalyst. Fucking catalyst made you puke 'til you fainted from it.

Thinking the tremors were finally over she raised herself up to the sink to rinse her mouth out and wash up. The part of him/her that was Duo was shocked by what looked back in the mirror. He was Shelby as an eleven year old girl, but the only thing that resembled her was the hazel/green eyes. All the glorious red hair he was so fond of was shaved off. In its place was a silver device on the side of her head. 

Before he could ask what it was, her memories supplied the knowledge. He/she knew it to be a restraining device embedded into her skull behind her ear. It would give little shocks if she didn't behave, or could give her a fatal shock should she try to escape. 

She was tired. So tired of being poked, and prodded. So tired of never ending tests. So tired of being afraid and in pain all the time. She was so close to giving up. _No_ she thought _I'm never going to give up. I WILL get out and I WILL live my life my way! _

_Hello? Is somebody there?_ Came a voice from nowhere. It sounded like a girl's.

Shelby whipped around looking for the speaker. Her cell was empty. _What the hell was that?_

_Hello? It's me, I'm Anna, can you hear me?_ Came the voice again.

_Yeah, I can hear you. Where are you? How can I hear you?_ She wasn't sure if she should speak aloud as well. She decided against it just incase someone was watching.

_You're right not to speak because they do watch us_ was Anna's thought.

_Is this what they've been doing to us? Teaching us to read minds?_ Scared as she was she kind of felt it was cool that she was able to do something under the scientists' noses with out them knowing.

_Kind of,_ Anna's tone was uncertain _they call it 'augmentation'. I've been hearing their thoughts for a while now. You're the first one who's ever spoke to me. Well unless you count that man that holds up those stupid cards and 'wills' me to guess them right. _

 _I do those tests. Hey, do they try to make you move things that are too heavy also?_

From that moment on Shelby and Anna became true friends. The Shelby/Duo bee flitted over a few more flowers showing Duo that they supported one another through the two years they were captive. A few more flowers showed him similar introductions to Tav, a moody nineteen year old and Cyber a brilliant fifteen year old. One of the first things they realized was the difference in their abilities. All of them were telepathic, but they all had secondary capabilities that were just a little bit different to each other. Anna was psychic and could discern a multitude of different outcomes for any action. However she couldn't move anything with her mind heavier than a coffee cup. Selby had no precognitive skills at all, but could lift two grown men and the table they sat on. 

The group of friends agreed that if they hid their progress it might earn them a fatal shock to the brain. They decided it would be better to tone down their progress to make it seem slower than it actually was. Eventually, with Anna's psychic ability, they would find their opportunity to escape.


	9. Chapter 9

Their chance came when both Anna and Tav predicted an attack on the complex they were in. at the time the news came as a big relief. Cyber hadn't been heard from in weeks and they were starting to worry. They knew he was alive because his mind was still there if incoherent. By the time they finally got a coherent thought out of him they were frantic. They had just a little over a week before the attack and they didn't want to leave him behind to die. 

_Cyber, please can you hear me? Please you're really starting to scare us._ This from Anna.

_Come on Cyb, _Shelby added_ I know your there and we need to talk. We're gonna blow this place._ With a mental chuckle _I mean really blowthis place and we're not leaving without you._

_Leave me alone!_ Came a desperate mental wail._ I can't leave here now. Just let me die with the others. _

_Never!_ From all three minds. Even Tav who was normally moody and difficult to talk to refused to even think about leaving him in this place when they destroyed it.

_Cyber what happened? What did they do?_ Anna asked gently.

_You want to know what they did?! THIS IS WHAT THEY DID!_ Cyber broadcast his image in his mirror to them. The other minds couldn't help recoil in horror. They removed his restraining device and replaced it with an implant designed to interface with computer circuitry. 

Shelby's first impulse was to mentally push at her own device. She felt it move and waited for the shock, but it took a few moments before it zapped her. Maybe if she pushed fast enough, she could remove it! _Guys! I made it move!_ Giving them an image of what she just did._ Cyber your coming with us, and when we get out I'll help you get rid of that thing._

Duo felt a stab of grief from adult Shelby and knew that Cyber wasn't alive anymore. _No he died from what they did to him._ Perhaps it was from her sudden pain, but Duo noticed her memories were moving faster.  She skimmed rather quickly over the details of their escape. He understood that they used their abilities to increase the destruction of the attack. They stole what they could of their files and escaped in the chaos.

Within weeks of their escape Cyber started to get sick. It hurt Shelby that she couldn't remove his implant without killing him right away. Cyber used the few months he was free to build his friends fake identities and transfer money from various members of Romefeller to accounts they could access.

Tav took Cyber's death the hardest. He'd disappear for days before Cyber died. After his death the girls wouldn't hear from him for weeks. Each time they did hear from him, he was more sullen and depressed than the time before. They suspected he'd returned to his metazone habit, but had no idea how to intervene from a distance.

            _Anna, Shelby_ they heard Tav's call. It felt distant, like it was from another continent.

_Tav?_  Both girls responded. Then Anna took over the conversation._ Tav we've been so worried. Where are you?_

_I want to thank you. You've been the closest thing to family I've ever had. And I'm sorry._

Much to their horror he cut off the connection, but not before they saw he was about to shoot himself.

There was another stab of grief from Shelby for just a moment before Duo felt her sever her own connection to him 

"So Anna and I have been alone ever since. We've been hiding for thirteen years now."

The sudden return to reality in Shelby's apartment was jolting. Duo was struggling with what he'd seen. Even though he knew it to be the truth, he still wanted to doubt it. How fair was it that he would meet the woman of his dreams only to have such a major obstacle to their happiness? How happy could they be? Knowing madness and death was her future? Was he being punished for his past sins?

It never occurred to Duo that Shelby could 'hear' his rejection of her. She felt like someone blasted a crater in her chest. There was so much more she could have told him. She wanted to tell him all about being Deathscythe. About all of the help she gave him and the other gundam pilots during the war. When he was alone, or unsure, or hurt and he would talk to Deathscythe it was her that would listen. It was her that loved him even then.

She didn't tell him any of it. She needed him to accept her for what she was first. Hoping she was doing the right thing, she offered him an out with the hopes that he would return. 

"I understand I'm asking you to accept a great deal. I can offer you a small assurance. _I am not going to go crazy_. In all of our potential futures, Anna has never once seen us go insane. Unfortunately in most of the ones she has seen, it is unlikely the public would ever believe that." She could even feel the doubt in him to that statement. She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes, and her throat starting to close on her. She was going to loose him. 

"I think you should leave now." She said quietly "If you decide to…I mean if you should change your mind…well if you have any quest…" she drew a deep breath. "If you're ever ready, you know where to find me."

Duo knew she was offering him a chance to escape without making an ugly scene. As much as he dammed himself for being a coward, he took it. He wasn't prepared to handle anything like this. Not yet. He needed time to think, to sort out the chaos that was inside him. So he left.


	10. Chapter 10

He had no recollection of how he returned to Relena's estate. He only realized where he was when he found himself staring blankly at a room full of his friends with his clothes soaked to the skin.

"Duo? Hello Duo?" Duo forced his mind to pay attention to what Heero was saying. "I asked if you were okay. I take it things didn't go well."

"No. Things went great." he replied sarcastically. Duo moved to the liquor cabinet and grabbed the first bottle that his hand touched. Not caring what it was he began to drink liberally from it. He couldn't stomach the sympathetic looks from his friends. Especially Heero and Wufei. They were warriors at heart, they fought together. Seeing them pity him made him want to smash something.  

"Yeah. Things went really great. We had dinner, confessed our feelings for each other, and screwed each other's brains out. Well not in that order, but you get the idea. No it was after that everything went totally to shit."

No one knew what to say to him. To many of them he'd always been a tad emotionally flamboyant. Now he was actually vibrating from the intense emotions storming inside him.

Duo made to leave before anyone decided to say something they stupidly thought was helpful. He stopped when his mind caught on something. "Relena," he whipped around to look at her "when you were with Romefeller, did you ever meet a man named Tolin Caruthers?"    

It was Une who answered. "Tolin Caruthers? He was a rival of Mr. Treze." 

"Is he still alive?" Duo's tone suggested he would fix that problem if he was.

"I really don't know. The last I heard of him was about a year before you came to earth." The intense glare from Duo and the curious looks from the others encouraged her to continue. "News reached his Excellency that Caruthers was building his own arsenal. Treze allowed the location of the complex Caruthers was using to fall into the hands of rebel factions in the area. The complex was completely destroyed. Caruthers just seemed to fade out of notice after that."

"So the worm crawled back under his rock did he?" Duo couldn't take anymore. His soul felt like it'd been through a meat grinder. He wanted to go to his room and drink 'til he passed out. Hopefully forget this day ever happened. 

Trowa stopped him "Is that what happened to her? She was a part of Caruthers' arsenal?" 

"The question is," added Heero "what they did to her that would get you so spooked?"

Duo didn't realize his blunder until it was too late. His friends were a lot of things, but dumb wasn't one of them. "Stay out of it! Leave her alone she's been hurt enough." He left the room before he could do any more damage.

******** 

Trowa waited until he was sure Duo was in his room before he voiced his thoughts. 

"I think they physically enhanced her. It's the only way she could have made that jump." 

That stopped everyone in the room. They were all trying to start up a conversation that didn't involve the scene that just took place.

"Duo asked us to stay out of it." said Quatre and Relena together.

"What you mean like genetic mutation, or a cybernetic body?" interjected Wufei. "I think you've been reading too many comics."

"No it's possible." Said Heero quietly. "It was something Dr J was thinking of trying on me. Time and the uncertainty of survival stopped him." 

"Do you think she could be dangerous?" Asked Une. As much as she liked Duo, she was also the director of the preventers and it was in that role she spoke now.

Heero shifted into preventer mode. "Duo's spooked. Really spooked. He wouldn't react this way if she'd simply been trained for combat." 

 Wufei the preventer added "He's allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment. Relena, how long have you known her under her current identity?"


	11. Chapter 11

It was a small blessing that Duo didn't wake up with a hangover. He already felt bad enough. He should have been waking up next to the woman he loved. He wanted to curse whatever fate made him wake up alone. _You did that all by yourself._ He told himself. _You didn't have to leave._

Oddly, the reasons to leave that seemed so good the night before seemed so stupid in the light of day. They loved each other. What did it matter she was different? Okay, so maybe last night he was a little blind-sided by her story and overreacted. Who wouldn't after all that happened to him yesterday? _Jeez. This means I'm going to have to apologize._ As he went to go shower he tried to mentally prepare a good apology.

***********

Shelby just stared at him in her doorway unsure of what to do or say. She knew he had returned before security let her know he was here, but her own morass of emotions were clouding her ability to read the reason why he was here.

"Duo?" was all she could think to say.

As he stepped in, he noted her eyes were red from crying. It struck him what a complete jackass he was for leaving last night. Back on the colony he'd been furious at her for leaving him. Last night he'd done the same thing to her. 

"I had a nice little speech prepared. It seems kinda lame now. Look I don't lie. What you are, I don't like it. I'd give everything I've ever had or will have if I could change it. Make it so it never happened, but I can't. I love you. I'm so crazy in love with you I can't even think of a life without you. I can learn to accept you being _psionic._ I can't learn to live without you." 

"DUO!" she flung herself at him. She burst into tears and wouldn't stop saying his name.

"So does this mean I get to have sex now?" he quipped. 

Laughing, tears still shinning on her face "After that speech? Oh yeah, you are definitely going to get sex. Lots and lots of it."

"YEE-HAW! Let's go babe! I've got…" he was stopped by the buzz form the lobby security system requesting visitor admittance. "Man talk about bad timing. Don't answer it. Let's just pretend we're not here." He was trying to coax her to the bedroom but was stopped by the strange look on her face.

"It's for you." She said as she granted admittance.

He groaned to himself. He knew it had to be Heero. Some days having Mr. perfect soldier/preventer as a best friend was a bitch. The guy saw threats to the peace of the Earth Sphere everywhere. When the door opened Duo was a little taken aback. Heero was there yes, but so were Relena, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei. 

"Hello Duo." Heero said way too pleasantly. "Mind if we come in?"

"Actually I do. You guys are interrupting big time. Hey I'm sorry I freaked out last night but everything's fine now. So you can leave… Now."

Heero ignored him and walked over to Shelby. "You must be Ms. Fox. Or is it Ms. McGuire? Or Ms. Kit? Which do you prefer to go by?" 

"You can use any of them. I could give you several more to choose from if you'd like." inwardly she sighed. She knew this was likely to happen. Anna had warned her. She just thought she would have had more time to prepare. Gathering her courage, she forced them to face her head on. 

"Well Preventer Yuy, Preventer Chang this can't be an official visit with civilians along" she indicated Relena, Quatre, and Trowa "so why don't you tell me why your really here. Cause I know your not here to see Duo." 

Heero smiled at her tactic. _She's clever_ he thought to himself. 

Wufei on the other hand responded with an attack of his own. He lunged at her. His attack wasn't designed to hurt her, he hoped to surprise her into revealing any training or modifications she had. What happened surprised everyone in the room except for Shelby.

To all who watched it seemed as if Shelby performed a countermove that flipped Wufei over her head. The real shock set in when they all realized he'd stopped, upside-down, in midair.

They all stood motionless for about ten seconds trying to rationalize what they were seeing. Heero broke the silence first. "They didn't enhance your body. They _augmented_ your mind."

Duo stepped in front of Shelby uncertain of who he was guarding from whom. "Stop Heero! It's not like that. You don't understand. Shel honey please put him down." In any other context he would have found the look on Wufei's face priceless. Right now it made him ill.

Shelby turned Wufei right side up and set him down gently on her sofa. She turned to find Heero had his stun weapon aimed at her. 

"Ms. Maguire, I have to take you into custody for your involvement in illegal brain augmentation." 

"Haven't you seen this movie?" giving no outward indication that she'd done anything, Heero's weapon flew out of his hand to land in hers. "Besides, the law clearly states you're supposed to kill me."

"WHAT?" yelled Duo. "Heero would never…"

"due to the inherent danger they are to themselves and to society," she quoted "all brain augment test subjects must be humanely terminated" 

She looked at the combined expressions on their faces. It was an array of horror, fear, and revulsion. She might as well have sprouted wings and a second head. "Relax" she said handing Heero his weapon back to him. "I have no intention of hurting any of you. The only person in this room in any real danger is me from you." She looked into Duo's eyes and spoke to his mind. 

_Please trust me love. Do you remember what I showed you about Anna? I knew this was a probability when we first met. If we ever wish to be happy, this must happen._


	12. Chapter 12

"Well I'm sorry if my introduction was a little over the top. I get that way when I'm nervous. You're right Heero I'm a brain augment, but I prefer to be called psionic. I have telepathic and telekinetic abilities."

Duo watched his friends while Shelby spent the next quarter of an hour explaining how she was recruited.

_Now,_ Duo noticed most of them flinched from her telepathic thought _for the tricky part. _They felt her send her mind out somewhere far. _Anna. Anna I need your help. _ No response. _God dammit Annabella this is an emergency! Where are you?_

_I'm sleeping. _Came the feminine reply. _I usually do that at __two a.m._

_It's happened Anna, I told Duo the truth._ Duo could feel the other mind snap to full alertness.

_HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?  _Was the very frightened response _  If we're lucky we'll only be killed. _

_What would dying be preferable to? _interrupted Relena's thought. She didn't realize her mental connection to Shelby made her thoughts audible to all of them.

Anna's mind suddenly went icy cold. _TELL ME that was Duo. Tell me I don't sense several minds tagging along on yours like some FREAKING AMUSMENT PARK RIDE!_

_Anna. It's happened._ Shelby laid heavy emphasis on those two words, but somehow kept their meaning from the rest of them. On the other end Anna's mind became a hurricane of emotions. Most of them were based in fear. It was then Duo realized the fear in Shelby as well. If he was certain of one thing it was that these two women were terrified of him and his friends.

He reached over and put his arms around her. "You never have to be afraid of me. I'll never hurt you." He kissed her on the forehead and tried to mentally project reassurance.

_Well I can see why you love him. _Anna said wryly. She'd regained control over her emotions. _You must be Duo, I'm Annabella Rosemarita Petronovitch._

Shelby signaled for everyone to introduce themselves. "Just speak normally. It will help focus your thoughts." 

One by one they gave their names. Quatre and Trowa seemed cautious but curious. Heero and Wufei were reluctant. 

"Hello I'm Relena Peacecraft. I believe we've met before. You were the one who came to visit Ms Fox uh… McGuire right?" 

_That's right I'm surprised you remembered._ Anna said pleasantly. _I guess I should tell all of you a little bit about myself. Or I guess I'd be better if I showed you._

Having experienced the mental rollercoaster of someone else's memories before, Duo found he could focus better. He could note how both women's experiences at the complex were similar, but felt so different. He was able to stay in his body and watch his friends have feelings that didn't belong to them. Relena had tears in her eyes when she had to watch Cyber and Tav die. Quatre looked as if he wanted to erase the pain from a person he'd never met. The other three had almost the same stony expressions. Anna was about to continue after Tav's suicide, but Shelby stopped her.

"Perhaps we should leave it there." She said "I think any more would be too much at one time."       

Anna paused to think on that. _Good idea. You know we exist now and a little of what we can do. It's probably better if you go now and decide what you want to do with that knowledge. You can expose us, ignore us, or choose to learn more about us.  If you want to learn more, I only ask two favors. First, I'd rather we talk in person and not several time zones away. Second, you keep our secret until after we meet._

"I fail to see why we should abide by such restrictions" Wufei said.

_It is certainly up to you what you do of course. I'm simply hoping for the outcome which won't have me strapped to a lab table being dissected._ Anna said reminding him that she could see many outcomes depending on their actions. _Now I'm going to hope I can get back to sleep. Good day everyone._ And her mind was gone.

"It's a little difficult to take in." said Quatre quietly. "I hope you'll forgive me for being rude, but what are the chances of you going mad?"

"It's alright. It's a fair question. You can choose to accept Anna's failure to predict such an outcome, or you can simply do the math. I've been like this for fifteen years now. Two at the lab complex and thirteen hiding in society. The subjects in the disaster eighty years ago went insane within months of their initial treatments. The only time I've ever used my abilities to harm was during my escape. Simply, if it hasn't happened yet, chances are it's not going to." 

"Alright" Duo said as he started to herd them towards the door. "You've got what you came for now leave!" 

Not all of them wanted to leave, and some of them gave him dirty looks, but they did leave. He quickly shut the door behind them and turned to Shelby. 

"Okay finish it." He said "you're hiding something else, and I want it out now. No more secrets from you, no more craziness from me. I just want us to be _us_."

She smiled at him "Duo didn't you ever wonder why you could feel me? Why you seemed to always know where I was? How we are _connected_?"

He did wonder that, but it got forgotten under everything else.

_Think Duo._ She opened her mind to him. The connection was deeper than she'd done before. He realized he was completely joined at the soul to her. He felt everything she felt. 

_Think love what do you feel?_

"I feel…I feel" there was something wriggling in the back of his mind trying to get out. He focused on it "I feel… _Deathscythe_. I feel Deathscythe. _My _Deathscythe!" How could he have not seen it before? 

"Yes love. I'm your Deathscythe. When you spoke to your gundam and knew someone was there, that was me. When you needed strength or support I gave it. When you and those other idiots almost got yourselves killed I'd tip the scales so you lived." 

"IT WAS YOU! You stopped my self detonation! I was seriously pissed at that!" he said with mock ferocity. 

"I remember." She couldn't help laughing at the memory. 

Now that he knew, he realized how truly right they were for each other. He understood why he was so crazy around her. He knew now why no other woman had ever stood a chance with him. Why he as much as he loved his friend Hilde, he couldn't love her the way she deserved. He had already given his heart away to the soul that lived in his gundam. They loved each other before they'd even met. Somehow even when he was a fifteen year old kid, he must have known she was out there without him. 

"Okay there's just one more thing I'd like to know." He scooped her up into his arms carrying her to the bedroom. "Can you keep this mental bond open for a while? I bet It'd be great during sex."

"You mean like this?" She kissed him passionately. He felt the not only in himself become aroused, but her blood heating as well.

_Oh yeah that's exactly what I mean._    

Authors note: The story thread isn't done. Keep watching for the sequel to this story. When Quatre meets Anna in _She's Sandrock_. 


End file.
